The growth of the Bermudian art world in recent years, not only in the number of practicing artists, but also in the depths of their concepts and sophistication is noteworthy.

This is also reflected in the growth of our two art museums, the Bermuda National Gallery and the Masterworks Museum. As a consequence of these developments, Bermudian artists and Bermudian art institutions have been expanding their horizons, by participating in overseas exhibitions. The most recent artist to do so, is Katherine Harriott, who is exhibiting a work from her series, called, "Safe as Houses," in the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.

Recently I spend a couple weeks in the mid-western US and thus, it was that on September 4th, the day Ms. Harriott's exhibition opened, I arranged to be in Chicago for the occasion. The history of the gallery is of considerable interest itself, in that the owner first rented a space for her MFA thesis exhibition in 1982. One thing led to another and so it is, twenty seven years later, this same gallery is flourishing, albeit in a new and different space.

This exhibition is made up of works from 23 women artists, from approximately a dozen different countries. Many deal with social issues, especially those related to women. The juror of this show is Pritika Chowdhry, who is, herself, from India and is, herself a practicing artist. Indeed, she was having a solo exhibition in the lower exhibition space of the same gallery. the main exhibition, the one Ms. Harriott is in, is entitled, "Cultural Memory: Transdiasporic Art Practices."

The actual title of Ms. Harriott's work is, "Safe as Houses, There's No Place Like Home." It consists of a nest-like structure, about fourteen inches in diameter, which is made of barbed wire. Within this nest, there are about seven metalic coloured eggs, plus the remains of several others that are broken. Nests connote security and comfort, but the fact that it is made of barbed wire, suggests something otherwise. The broken eggs also alludes to possible violence. There is also the contrast of the hardness and sharpness of the nest as opposed to the fragility of the eggs.

Those who know the work of Katharine Harriott, will know that many of her pieces, deal with womens issues. For a number of years, she headed up the Women's Resource Centre, so she knows first-hand, the wide-spread, but at the same time, hush-hush problem of domestic violence and especially the abuse of women. Her work expresses these concerns.

Some, especially those who think of art as being limited to the decorative and beautiful, will find Ms. Harriott's work discomforting. Indeed, her work is often highly contentious. But art is all about the human condition and that includes the less attractive aspects of human behavior, as well as the beautiful. Until we face these less appealing issues, instead of hiding them away behind the facade of what we usually conceive of as home, these concerns will continue to plague us. Katherine Harriott is doing us all a service by bringing these matters into the open.

The Woman Made Gallery is located at 685 North Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The exhibition begins on September 4 and continues through October 10, 2009.